1980 Rick Folk Team

Team (1986)

Curling

World Curling Champions

In 1980, skip Rick Fold, third Ron Mills, second Tom Wilson and lead Jim Wilson brought Canada its first World curling championship since 1972. Followers of the game insist that the toughest competition is often found on the club level. Curling out of the Nutana club, Folk's quartet was one of eight teams that qualified for the city playdowns. They had won nine games and lost four. In the city playdowns the foursome chalked up five straight wins and advanced to the northern playdowns. At the northerns, held in Tisdale, Rick and company won four straight to win the A event and qualified to take part in the provincial final. With a record of five wins and one loss, Folk and the boys earned the right to play in the Canadian championship in Calgary. They finished first in the round robin, the defeated Northern Ontario in the Final.

At the World Silver Broom, held in Moncton, Folk finished the round robin with a perfect 9-0 record. In the final, Canada scored a close 7-6 win over the defending champions from Norway skipped by Kristian Soerum. The Folk team was enshrined in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

Rick Folk (skip), Ron Mills ** (third), Tom Wilson (second), Jim Wilson (lead)

** Deceased

Photo courtsey Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame

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" We had to win three sudden-death club finals and five sudden-death provincial finals. We knew there would have to be a damn good team to beat us. " -- Rick Folk, skip on the 1980 Brier championship rink